PhD Studentship: Optical computing and transmission by wavefront shaping

PhD Studentship: Optical computing and transmission by wavefront shaping

Department: Electronic & Electrical Engineering

Primary Supervisor: Dr Filipe Ferreira

Starting date: Available now

Duration of study: Full Time - up to three years fixed term

Application deadline: Applications will remain open until a suitable candidate is found, but if you are interested please apply as soon as possible.

The studentship will cover UK tuition fees and an annual stipend (tax free) of no less than £17,285, increasingly annually with inflation. The studentship is funded for up to 3 years on a full-time basis.

Applications are invited for a funded PhD studentship in the Optical Networks Group; Dept Electronic and Electrical Engineering. The aim of the PhD is to develop wavefront shaping methods that could enable optical neural networks in combination with meta-materials for a wide range of applications spanning from modelling of biological systems to optical switching and multiplexing through optical fibres. This could lead to enhancing the signal processing and transmission capacity of optical systems.

Description. A range of emerging light wavefront shaping methods, in combination with novel nonlinear meta-materials, offer the prospect of achieving signal processing in the optical domain benefiting of its inherit ultra-high speed and ultra-low power consumption. This could revolutionise photonic computing and optical communications by allowing for an unprecedented high spatial density of information at processing and transmission levels. The fundamental idea is to optimally structure light (adjusting its phase and amplitude) to exploit the linear and nonlinear scattering properties of different materials and waveguides. In principle, using wavefront shaping for photonic computing is feasible, and a few compelling lab demonstrations have been made. However, significant challenges remain in establishing and pushing the limits of this technique and bringing it to the point of system application. This PhD project will aim to address these challenges, with specific aims including:

• Developing a wavefront shaping system combining optical and electronic components with nonlinear optical materials
• Performing experimental and simulated studies wavefront shaping involving spatial light modulators, optical fibres and meta-devices
• Implementing and programming spatial modulation hardware, control sub-systems, optimisation, and processing schemes
• Contributing to group meetings and discussion, including scientific talks, and to wider activities

Eligibility:

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, a degree (1st or 2:1) in Physics, Electronic Engineering, or similar.

How to apply:

This studentship is available to start immediately. Applications should be made using the UCL postgraduate study application form and marked to the attention of Dr Filipe Ferreira, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering. For further information, interested candidates may contact Dr Filipe Ferreira [Email Address Removed] with a covering letter and a CV (including marks/grades achieved on current courses).

We will continue to advertise until this studentship has been filled.

About UCL and the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering

University College London (UCL) was founded in 1826 as the third university in England, after Oxford and Cambridge. UCL is the first university in England to admit students of any race, class or religion, and the first to welcome women on equal terms with men. UCL is organized into 11 constituent faculties, within which there are over 100 departments, institutes and research centres. UCL has 983 professors and more than 7000 academic staffs who are dedicated to research and teaching of the highest standards. Its student community is almost 36,000, the largest in the UK. There are 29 Nobel Prize winners and three Fields medalists amongst UCL’s alumni and current and former staff. UCL is the top rated university in the UK for research excellence (REF2014). It has a strong tradition and large knowledge base in medical research with a dedicated institute on Healthcare Engineering and 10+ hospitals. UCL has world-class support for researchers and has been voted the best place for postdoctoral researchers to work for consecutive years by The Scientist magazine. The main campus of UCL is located in central London, close to British Museum, West-End and Thames River.

The Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at UCL was established by Professor Sir Ambrose Fleming in 1885 and has a very strong research culture, state-of-the-art research equipment and facilities, and a very rich history of many fundamental research achievements in electronic and electrical engineering. The department has received top ratings in every UK research evaluation carried out to date.

Further information regarding UCL may be found at: www.ucl.ac.uk/

Information about the department may be found at: www.ucl.ac.uk/eee